Archive for July, 2023

The app formerly known as Twitter is poisoning your mind

I just launched the app formerly known as Twitter and I see:

  • 2 posts from people I follow
  • Ad
  • Post from someone I follow
  • 2 suggested posts
  • “Who to Follow” (3)
  • Ad
  • Post from someone I follow
  • “Creators for You” (3)
  • 2 suggested posts
  • 2 posts from people I follow
  • Ad
  • Suggested post
  • Post from someone I follow
  • Ad

So that’s 7 posts from people I actually follow out of 18 total (and that’s counting the three-banger “Who to Follow” and “Creators for You” as 1 each). Less than half.

Please note that the ads are marked only by a small gray “Promoted” at the bottom, and the suggested posts look exactly the same as posts from people I follow. The only way I can tell a post was suggested is to hover over the poster’s userpic and note that it presents a “Follow” button instead of “Following.” If the algorithm is selecting posts that look similar to what your friends post (e.g. something about the WGA strike), you might not immediately notice that a post was put into your feed by the algorithm rather than being posted or retweeted by your actual friends.

This means that information Twitter has selected for you, for reasons of its own, hits your brain with the same perceptual filters you apply to posts from your friends. It might be on the same topics your friends post about, but it may not be factual and may not align with their values. Do you see how dangerous that is?

Pemmi-Con NASFIC schedule

Well, my flight from Minneapolis to Winnipeg was canceled, so I missed my first scheduled panel. But I will be there soon! In fact, I am on a plane to Winnipeg right now! So here’s my remaining schedule:

10:00 AM, Saturday 22 Jul 2023 CDT – 1 hour 15 minutes
Kaffeklatsche: David D. Levine
Delta Hotel – Fort Garry

11:30 AM, Saturday 22 Jul 2023 CDT – 1 hour 15 minutes
Editors are Sort of Human Too, You Know!
Convention Centre – York 2

4:00 PM, Saturday 22 Jul 2023 CDT – 1 hour 15 minutes
The Next Pandemic
Convention Centre – York 4

1:00 PM, Sunday 23 Jul 2023 CDT – 25 minutes
Readings: David D. Levine
Delta Hotel – St. James

My upcoming appearances!

I have a novel coming out in November! The Kuiper Belt Job is a caper story in space, a mash-up of Firefly, Leverage, and The Expanse. It’s an ensemble piece with complex character relationships and a twisty, compelling plot, but beneath the entertaining surface it raises deep questions about identity and personhood. In a world where minds can be copied, what does it mean to be “me”?

I’ve already set up a bunch of personal appearances to support the novel, with more to come. Here’s what I have so far!

Keep an eye on https://daviddlevine.com/about/upcoming-appearances/ for updates!